Kennewick Coast Guard crew rescued from Snake River

A Kennewick-based Coast Guard crew was fished out of the water by a good Samaritan boating on the Snake River on Wednesday.

The crew of five were working on Channel Marker 46 between Little Goose and Lower Granite dams when their boat capsized about 11:30 a.m.

Deputies launched the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office boat, and Colfax Fire and rescue ambulances also responded.

They arrived downriver from Boyer Park to find a boater, possibly an angler, had rescued the five petty officers from the water, according to the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office.

The crew had been in a 26-foot aluminum hull with an inflatable orange ring around the edges. It is small enough to be hauled by trailer.

All five were wearing life preservers and were not injured, according to the Coast Guard.

The boat floated downstream, but was found the next day. It had not been recovered by late Thursday afternoon.

Why the boat capsized is being investigated by the Coast Guard, with help from the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office.

Kennewick is the base for a U.S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team, which is responsible for fixed navigation aids from Hood River to Richland on the Columbia River and from the confluence of the Snake River near Burbank upriver to Lewiston.

This story was originally published May 18, 2017 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Kennewick Coast Guard crew rescued from Snake River."